Woodside was built in 1853 by James Colquhoun, a British barrister who had recently arrived in Canada. After his death the home saw several different tenants, one of them being the King family. The King family only occupied the house for seven years but the impact it had on the young William Lyon Mackenzie King could not be stressed enough. King once wrote "The years that left the most abiding of all impressions and most in the way of family associations were those lived at Woodside." In 1940, fearing demolition of the home, a group of citizens formed the Mackenzie King Woodside Trust to preserve and restore the house in honour of Mackenzie King. Today both the house and the many gardens have been restored to their turn of the century splendor. Visitors to this historic site can picnic on the lawn and enjoy the lily pond and admire the tulip tree that William planted as a young boy more then 110 years ago.
From the long weekend in May to December 23 Woodside is open to the general public seven days a week
